The life and death of that Reverend man of God, Mr. Richard Mather, teacher…

Concerning his Judgement. Touching matters of Faith and Doctrine, his large Catechism which contains the Sum of the Body of Divinity, doth sufficiently manifest his Orthodoxness to the World. Indeed he was a strenuous opposer of the Errors of the Times. Touching Worship and Discipline, he was for the true Congregational-Way, in opposition to both the Extremes of Brownism on the one hand, and Presbyterianism on the other hand. As for Brownism, he was of the same apprehension with Mr. Dod and Mr. Cotton, That God is not wont to make choice of men infamous for gro•s Vices• (as that Brown and Barrow were) to be the Discoverers of momentous Truths. And to manifest that he was far from the Error of that Way, he hath left a judicious Manuscript, proving that although Power, i.e. Privilege and Liberty doth belong to the Fraternity, yet that Rule is proper to the Presbytery of the Church. As for Presbyterianism, his Printed Books in Answer to Mr. Herle and Mr. Rutherford, show how far he was distant from that Persuasion. Also some years before his Death, he prepared for the Press an Elaborate Discourse, Entitled, A Plea for the Churches of New-England; divided into Two Parts: The former being an Answer to Mr. Rathbands Narration of Church-Courses in New-England; The other containing Positive Grounds from Scripture and Reason, for the Justification of the Way of the Churches in New-England. Not many weeks before his death a Friend acquainting him, that some reported that he had declared himself to be a Presbyterian; He replied, You tell me a strange thing: I ha•• written Books in Defence of the Congregational-Way, as differing from the Presbyterian, and doth any one say I declared my self for that Persuasion? It is nothing so. At the same time I• being said to him, that he had ⟨p. 31⟩the principal hand in the Platform of Discipline, and had he not changed his judgement from that? His Answer was, No, not in any one particular that I know of.

Concerning his Judgement. Touching matters of Fait• and Doctrine, his large Catechi•m which contains the Summe of the Body of Divinity, doth sufficiently manifest his Orthodoxness to the World. Indeed he was a strenuous opposer of the Errours of the Times. Touching Worship and Discpline, he was for the true Congregational-Way, in opposition to both the Extremes of Brownism on the one hand, and Presbyterianism on the other hand. As for Brownism, he was of the same apprehension with Mr. Dod and Mr. Cotton, That God is not wont to make choice of men infamous for gros Vices (as that Brown and Barrow were) to be the Discoverers of momentous Truths. And to manifest that he was farre from the Errour of that Way, he hath left a judicious Manuscript, proving that although Power, i.e. Priviledge and Liberty doth belong to the Fraternity, yet that Rule is proper to the Presbytery of the Church. As for Presbyterianism, his Printed Books in Answer to Mr. Herle and Mr. Rutherford, shew how farre he was distant from that Perswasion. Also some years before his Death, he prepared for the Press an Elaborate Discourse, Entiuled, A Plea for the Churches of New-England; divided into Two Parts: The former being an Answer to Mr. Rathbands Narration of Church-Courses in New-England; The other containing Positive Grounds from Scripture and Reason, for the Justification of the Way of the Churches in New-England. Not many weeks before his death a Friend acquainting him, that some reported that he had declred himself to be a Presbyterian; He replied, You tell me a strange thing: I ha written Books in Defence of the Congregationall-Way, as differing from the Presbyterian, and doth any one say I declared my self for that Perswasion? It is nothing so. At the same time I being said to him, that he had